Game Arena Restrictions Update - 2023-03-07

Good morning all!

Today we are releasing a new patch. Here are the changes:

Changes:

• Game Arena:
  • Increased minimum required users for Akram Arena to 10v10 (max 15v15)
  • Fixed bug where summons killing other summons counted towards kill statistics
  • Switched from IP to machine restrictions for queuing and playing game arenas
• Misc:
  • Added fix for performance issue that was causing lag spikes on the server
  • Added fix for performance issue impacting Fossil Sanctuary

Game Arena Restrictions Update

In this patch we are rolling out a new feature that removes the IP restrictions on game arenas! We implemented these measures to mitigate some of the game arena abuse reports we were receiving. While the IP restrictions were easy for us to roll out quickly, it was a crude solution that negatively impacted some players. We were sad that people in the same house or using the same VPN were limited in their ability to participate in game arenas together because of this restriction. We're happy to announce that game arena's are now restricted per machine! Players playing with their friends or loved ones can play in game arenas together if they share the same IP as long as they are on different computers. Players will still be limited to entering a game arena with only one character at a time.

Game Arena Summon + Akram Arena Update

In this update we've corrected an issue where summon vs. summon kills were contributing to player kills and giving those players large game arena rewards. Players can still use their summons to get kills on other players but killing another player's summon no longer contributes to a player's battle statistics in game arenas.

Additionally, with the increased activity in game arenas, we have reverted the player limits back to their original. We had previously reduced the minimum required players for Akram Arena since it was quite hard to start a game due to not as many players having reaching the end game. Now that game arenas are more active, we are reverting back to the original player numbers which will make Akram Arena battles larger and more exciting!

Minimum Players Required (Akram Arena): 10v10 (previously 5v5)

Server lag spikes + Fossil Sanctuary lag

With this update we are rolling out a change to improve the performance issue that was causing periodic lag spikes for our players as the server fell behind. Based on our testing, it appears that this was the same issue causing problems in Fossil Sanctuary and we are observing a noticeable performance improvement in Fossil as well.

What's coming next

As mentioned in our last update, the team last month reached a major milestone for server stability that has enabled us to shift our focus towards new content and game development. Already with this patch we were able to focus on more game related issues like the game arena updates. Our next major content update is going to be focused on revamping Luna Clan Fields and bringing back the infamous "Astarot Wings" to the game as a non-item mall item. We will share more details in the future but here is a sneak peak of our internal game design document for this update!

In parallel to this project, here are a few things that are "in the works", i.e. we are actively planning and designing some changes in these areas:

• Drop tables (with a focus on early level zones and farming)
• Cleric/Mage mana shield tweaking
• Drop rate gems / clan skills
• Sikuku Ruins Turak
• Boss mob timer variability
• Vending - Remember shop listings for easy re-setup
• Engine graphics improvements

Naturally we will share more information as these items develop! In the meantime, stay tuned for the LCF update!